ASTM D6400

Abstract

This specification covers plastics and products made from plastics that are designed to be
composted in municipal and industrial aerobic composting facilities. The properties in this
specification are those required to determine if plastics and products made from plastics
will compost satisfactorily, including biodegrading at a rate comparable to known
compostable materials. The purpose of this specification is to establish standards for
identifying products and materials that will compost satisfactorily in commercial and
municipal composting facilities.

This abstract is a brief summary of the referenced standard. It is informational only and not an
official part of the standard; the full text of the standard itself must be referred to for its use and
application. ASTM does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that
the contents of this abstract are accurate, complete or up to date.

1. Scope

1.1 This specification covers plastics and products made from plastics that are designed to
be composted in municipal and industrial aerobic composting facilities.

1.2 This specification is intended to establish the requirements for labeling of materials and
products, including packaging made from plastics, as "compostable in municipal and
industrial composting facilities."

1.3 The properties in this specification are those required to determine if plastics and
products made from plastics will compost satisfactorily, including biodegrading at a rate
comparable to known compostable materials. Further, the properties in the specification are
required to assure that the degradation of these materials will not diminish the value or
utility of the compost resulting from the composting process.

1.4 The following safety hazards caveat pertains to the test methods portion of this
standard: This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any,
associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish
appropriate health and safety practices and to determine the applicability of regulatory
limitations prior to use.

Note 1—No equivalent ISO specifications exist for this standard.

2. Referenced Documents

ASTM Standards
D5338 Test Method for Determining Aerobic Biodegradation of Plastic Materials Under
Controlled Composting Conditions
D6002 Guide for Assessing the Compostability of Environmentally Degradable Plastics
D883 Terminology Relating to Plastics
Organization for Economic Development (OECD) Standard
OECDGuideline208 Terrestrial Plants, Growth Test
Comite Europeen de Normalisation (CEN)
EN13432 Requirements for Packaging Recoverable through Composting and
Biodegradation--Test Scheme and Evaluation Criteria for the Final Acceptance of
Packaging
ISO Standard
ISO16929 Plastics--Determination of the Degree of Disintegration of Plastic Materials
under Defined Composting Conditions in a Pilot-Scale Test
U.S. Government Standard
40CFRPart503.13 Standards for the Use or Disposal of Sewage Sludge
Canadian Government Standard
TradeMemorandumT-4-93 Standards for Metals in Fertilizers and Supplements

Index Terms

biodegradable; compostable plastic; composting; degradable plastics; labeling; ICS Number

Code 83.080.01 (Plastics in general)

DOI: 10.1520/D6400-04

ASTM International is a member of CrossRef.

ASTM D6400 (Plastics Standards)

Citing ASTM Standards

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